Manley Mere Adventure Trail
An outdoor obstacle trail around the mere - seesaw bridges, rope swings, water crossings - that has quietly become one of the North West's most talked-about days out. Wet, muddy, screen-free and completely absorbing.
Castle Park House and Gardens
Frodsham, Cheshire
The trails are what lift it above nine hectares of municipal grass. There is a story sculpture trail built around Matilda the bee, aimed squarely at the under sevens, and a tree trail of nineteen trees that the park reckons takes about half an hour. Both are free. Both turn a forty minute stop into ninety, which is the whole trick of a good town park. The rest is the classic Edwardian mix: formal beds, big open lawns, bits of woodland, and enough sports provision that teenagers have somewhere to go while smaller children use the play area. It has held a Green Flag.
There are public toilets, there is food on site, and there is parking, which between them cover the three things that end a trip early. Most paths will take a pushchair or a wheelchair, with the caveat printed on the park's own site that they get muddy and that some sections near steps need routing round. Opening hours and any car park charge are not published online, so read the board when you arrive. Frodsham is short of options and this one is doing a lot of work.
Know before you go
- Do the Matilda the bee sculpture trail with under fives and the tree trail, about half an hour, with the older ones. The trails are the difference between a park and an outing.
- The site warns paths can be muddy and that a few sections near steps need an alternative route. Wellies for the children. Check the route if you have a pushchair, and read the car park sign on arrival, because opening hours and any charge are not published online.
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